Disney arcade games are back in the news. Not long ago I wrote about the Tsum-Tsum arcade game by Konami. In case you didn’t know, the mobile Tsum-Tsum game, based on the collectible plush figures, has done very well on both sides of the Pacific. It prompted Konami to create an arcade unit that supports two large touch screen displays and even has a vending machine that distributes rare, arcade-only Tsum-Tsums. The cabinets have been slowly trickling over to the USA for the past few months. I believe there is even one in the offices at Pixar! All you collectors should check your local arcade or movie theater – they might have one to play! It is not the only arcade game featuring the Disney characters that is generating a buzz for arcade visitors. The Disney Magic Castle / Magical World series has done extremely well for Bandai Namco Games in Japan and has found some crossover success in the United States as well.
The partnership between Bandai Namco and the Disney company extends across multiple platforms, including mobile devices and arcade cabinets. The latest game is called Disney Magical Happy Mirror. It takes place in the Magic Castle universe, which is a sort of game version of the theme parks where all of the Disney mascots live and work. Players can visit the various icons including Mickey, various princesses and even Winnie the Pooh. This latest game takes advantage of some emerging technologies and some which debuted in the most recent console generation.
Magical Happy Mirror is designed with girl players in mind. They pose in front of a display that doubles as a mirror to the Magic Castle universe. Players select a dress from a favorite Disney character, such as Minnie, Ariel, Cinderella or Sofia the First. The game takes a “picture” of the player and places them in the dress. It maps the player to a CGI body in real-time. The face is really the only part that remains video; the arms of the person are replaced with animated arms. The technology had been featured before in other arcade games, including the Mario Kart arcade series, which Namco produced for Disney and Nintendo. The technology had also been tested in the Microsoft Kinect and Sony’s Intelligent Motion Detection software. These princesses are then placed in the familiar Magic Castle itself, which has nothing to do with the famous members-only castle in Los Angeles. It turns out that there are some ghosts causing mischief in the Disney castle. The Disney Princesses ask the player to please help them shoo away the ghosts with the use of a magic wand.
Players then wave their arms and scare away ghosts as they appear on screen. The ghosts are round and friendly, not at all like the pop up ghosts that might give young audiences a scare in the Haunted Mansion. The mechanics are a little awkward and younger players may not quite understand what to do. Older girls do pick up on the game play right away and learn to spot patterns and swipe at ghosts just as they enter the frame. After chasing away the ghosts, the players are rewarded for how quickly and thoroughly they were able to clear each stage. The princess returns to thank the player then they pose for a moment. The game takes another picture of the player and this time they are joined by a friend. The player is asked which photo, of several the game has taken throughout the course of the game, they would like a copy of. Once the player selects it the cabinet prints out a souvenir for players. Best of all, they are presented with a QR code that allows them to see all of the other pictures and download them on to a mobile device. There is no news if Bandia Namco is planning on localizing the cabinet for the western markets but I would not bet against it.
The technology in Magical Happy Mirror is nothing revolutionary but you should be able to see the applications in the Disney parks is almost limitless. Every attraction, every shop and every meet and greet could be a place to feature this technology. Kids could interact with CGI characters and even do things like fly with Peter Pan, become a ghost in the Haunted Mansion or race against Lightning McQueen without ever taking a step. Imagine how this technology would appeal to Disney fans with limited mobility, sensory or developmental issues. Best of all it would allow guests to get an instant keepsake of their visit. It could offer the ability to download, email and share pictures on social media even faster than before. My family has been happy with the Magic Castle series and we hope to see it grow outside of the game screen and find its way to the arcades and even parks. What do you think?
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